Where to find other riders?

[bluerider]

Hi from Canada *waving*

I am a new roadie and am in love with my bike and cycling. I'm wondering how other newbies found other riders to ride with. The boys at the bike shop are too fast for me (for now) and would like to ride with someone as my rides start getting longer and faster. Any ideas?

Thanks and it's great to see such a thriving community of women riders here!

[DeniseGoldberg]

Hey Bluerider -
Welcome to the forum, and welcome to the world of road bike riding. Where are you in Canada? Have you seen the "How many Canadian girls do we have here?" thread? Maybe you'll be lucky and someone else from your area has already identified herself. Some of us (TE members...) in the Boston area have started to do some rides together. It's been a nice change of pace for me, since I've been a solo rider for many years.

Another place to try is a local bike club. Often club rides will have fast and slow groups. (Of course, that didn't really work for me since I always found myself in between the groups - but it's worth a try!) Or - check with your LBS. Sometimes shops will hold rides too.

--- Denise

[KSH]

Well, I did a search on the internet for bike clubs in my city and state.

Then, I joined the "no drop" rides... meaning: we will wait for the slow ones.

That has worked out well for me!

Good luck!

[LBTC]

Hi, Blue! Welcome, from another canuck!

What part of Canada are you in?? I"m in BC. The cycling community is amazingly "tight" here in the west. It seems it doesn't matter where I go I know somebody who knows somebody there....

Happy riding!

Namaste,
~T~

[bluerider]

Oy! Thanks for the suggestions. I will definitely check out the forum you suggested Denise. LBTC, I’m from Ontario. I will check out my local bike shop and join the “slow” group but there doesn’t seem to be many girls who ride with them that night. I guess chicken me is a little intimidated. Nonetheless, will continue riding solo until I find someone else/group to ride with. Again, it’s wicked to see that there are other women out there riding, unfortunately not in my area!

[Biking Chick]

Welcome to the forum Blue ... I hope you'll find a few 'sisters' who will want to ride with you. Have you thought about organizing an all girl week night ride? Maybe you LBS will let you put up a poster in the shop - they might be able to help you with a couple of different routes. When I first started biking I would have definatley been intimidated riding with an all guy group - heck, I was intimidated going on my first group ride!

That is what I love about cycling - if you find that bikes are your passion and you stick with it you will become a better rider which in turn gives you more and more confidence in yourself and your ability. I know you'll enjoy this forum - the TE ladies are awesome.

[bluerider]

Hi Biking Chick,

Thanks for the suggestion. I definetely am trying to get others out there but often get looks like this from my girlfriends. I love cycling way too much to let that hold me back and hopefully my overzealous enthusiasm for the sport will motivate others. Is it wrong that every time it’s sunny, I just want to be on my bike. I’d rather sit on the saddle for 8 hours than in my cubicle.

[bikerchick68]

hiya! I have met several people by noticing their "livestrong" bands and asking if they ride...

I ride with a local club but they are fast... especially for someone new... I was chatting one day after a ride and mentioned that the next day I would do a slow recovery ride, 25 miles flat at maybe 14mph... just an easy spin... one of the guys asked who I ride that with as his wife is too scared being new to ride with the group but really wants to ride... so she began riding my recovery day with me... since then, I've mentioned it to more people and actually had others from the group call and ask if their newbie friends could join in... so now I've created a "new rider" cycling club. I review safety stuff with anyone who joins, teach people how to draft, how to call out stuff in the road, when to take the lane, about being a respectful cyclist so we make friends of more drivers etc. Biggest rule I have is that we are a NO DROP group! If someone gets too strong for our pace then I encourage them to join another group with an intermediate level!

I guess in a nutshell... start letting every cyclist you meet know you are looking for someone to ride with! You'll be amazed at how many other riders are at the same level... and you'll all build your confidence and speed together! There is definitely something to be said for riding with others... it's very easy when alone to not push yourself the same way you would riding with someone else! Keep us posted ok?

[caligurl]

[QUOTE=bikerchick68There is definitely something to be said for riding with others... it's very easy when alone to not push yourself the same way you would riding with someone else![/QUOTE]

SEE! this is why i need to live in a more populated area! around here you have the "sd's" that are all into competing with one another and who can go faster (well.. DUH... you are guys.. and have been riding longer.. YES..... you are faster then i am!) or the ones who ride once a month!

i need to move to where there are people like you to ride with! (but not your brother.. he's WAY to fast for me! *remembering that cold, early morning RACE at the beginning of hemet!)

[CorsairMac]

I'm with you Cali - I've looked around here and so far have found 3 racing clubs and 1 non-racing club with a Wed night no-drop ride. When I talked to the ride host, the avg spd of the no-drop ride is 17-18 mph! and he pointed out the guys who ride it.....the same guys riding in the Tues night crits. and yes, they were all guys. So I'm still riding alone and still hopeful! oh...and PS...I did the Ride of Silence with this group and I don't know if they were ALL from this group, but they scared me - I thought I would be the one that wouldn't be able to hold my line, or forget to signal or something newbie obvious.....but let me tell ya hun....it wasn't ME that had the problems! When 2 riders from the club pinched me up against a curb and left me no where to move, I knew then this wasn't a group I probably wanted to ride with very often. Either that or I just ride alone waaaaaaaaaaay too much!

[caligurl]

the closest club to us (whichis still an hour away) is like that... i read their site and just shake my head.... they don't want newbies.. desert cycling club ... they just want to continue to be their little elite group! some of the guys from up here have driven down there to ride with them and came back with the stories of the studs dropping them.....

this is their easiest ride: speed avg 17 mph, 42 miles with defined cut-off routes to shorten ride... uhm.. ya... i can do that... NOT! i JUST finally got a 16.6 average ride this past sunday.. and i worked hard for that! i normally average 14.9 to 15.something with no hills! (and that's the average.. i'm a LOT slower most times!) elitests... BAH!

i did join a club ride in redlands a few months back.. i was still the slowest on the flats (managed to pass a couple on the hill)... now they were nice and club along the lines of what bikerchick is talking about.. unfortunately they are an hour and a half away

[nuthatch]

I was chatting one day after a ride and mentioned that the next day I would do a slow recovery ride, 25 miles flat at maybe 14mph... just an easy spin...

i JUST finally got a 16.6 average ride this past sunday.. and i worked hard for that! i normally average 14.9 to 15.something with no hills! (and that's the average.. i'm a LOT slower most times!) elitests... BAH!

Holy crud, you guys are fast! The boys are, well, beyond belief. Okay, when you are measuring your average speed, do your bike computers average your stops in too? I seem to be riding about 15/16 most of the time but I always end up with an average speed of 12 to 13 - and I stop frequently. Does it depend on your computer or do they all average the same way?

[CorsairMac]

Nut: you should be able to set you computer to either stopwatch or ATM. Actual Time Moving! (no...I have no idea what it really means but that's how I think of it.) If your computer is set for stopwatch it'll avg your spd based on total road time which could lower your avg. If you set it to ATM, ONLY the time the front tire is moving is measured. Check you manual: it should tell you if and or how to change your computer to ATM.

and no.....my avg spd is only about 13 +/- mph although when I'm on long straight flats I seem to avg about 16-17. My avg yesterday for my century was 14.?? which I was very proud of.

[nuthatch]

My avg yesterday for my century was 14.?? which I was very proud of.

I'd be proud of 14 as well!! My average was 12.3 yesterday over the course of 80 totally flat miles.

Nut "tortoise" hatch

[KSH]

the closest club to us (whichis still an hour away) is like that... i read their site and just shake my head.... they don't want newbies.. desert cycling club ... they just want to continue to be their little elite group! some of the guys from up here have driven down there to ride with them and came back with the stories of the studs dropping them.....

this is their easiest ride: speed avg 17 mph, 42 miles with defined cut-off routes to shorten ride... uhm.. ya... i can do that... NOT! i JUST finally got a 16.6 average ride this past sunday.. and i worked hard for that! i normally average 14.9 to 15.something with no hills! (and that's the average.. i'm a LOT slower most times!) elitests... BAH!

i did join a club ride in redlands a few months back.. i was still the slowest on the flats (managed to pass a couple on the hill)... now they were nice and club along the lines of what bikerchick is talking about.. unfortunately they are an hour and a half away

Sounds like you need to start your OWN CLUB in your AREA!

Or at least... find a way to assemble the few riders you have in your area. Sounds like a few are looking for people to ride with!


Also... I want to add... that I found someone to ride with via this website! We are going to the Collin Classic together (in Dallas, TX) on June 11th!